How do I write a an answer to a

poetry question at IGCSE level?

 The Introduction
• 1. Write a short summary of the poem.
Think: What is the poem about?
• The more precisely you can define what the
poem is about, the easier the rest of your essay
will be.

Note: Make sure you have a summary for all the

poems and that you really know what all of them
are about.
 How could we improve these?
• The poem “Pied Beauty” is about the eternity (sic)
beauty of God, how everything has a positive and
negative perspective.
Or
• Gerald Manley Hopkins uses many words and phrases
to vivid effects. It mainly describes how God is and all
the things he brought to the world for us.
Or
• The poem “Pied Beauty” talks about the beauty things
have.
 This is more like it…
In the poem “Pied Beauty” by Gerald Manley Hopkins
our world is described as strange, original. And there is
gratefullness expressed to God for his creation.
Or
The poem “Pied Beauty”, written by Gerald Manley
Hopkins is about God’s creation and the beauty in
these. The author portrays that although things might
appear as different and with nothing in common, all of
them are marvellous for their own distinct and special
reason.
 Your introduction also needs a FOCUS

You should choose 3 to write about. Each one is a seperate paragraph. Your
paragraphs should be in the same order as the terms in the introduction.
1. Rhyme – regular/irregular. Octave, sextet, couplet, quatrain.
2. Rhythm: Specific form (iambic pentameter etc..) repetition, parallelism,
anaphora, listing, caesura, enjambment.
3. Sound Devices: Alliteration, assonance, sibilance, onomatopea
4. Imagery visual, auditory, olfactory, tactile (literal and figurative) simile,
metaphor, personification
5. Contrast – oxymoron, juxtaposition (you can contrast other elements of the
poem as well)
6. Tone and Atmosphere
7. Diction – including denotation and connotation.
8. Allegory, extended metaphor,
 How to apply your focus…
Here is an example:

The poet creates vivid effects through the joyful

tone, the use of literary devices and the rhythm of
the poem.
(remember this is the last part of the introduction)
Then your first paragraph would be tone; second
literary devices; and third rhythm.
 Linking Vocaubulary
• Remember to always use linking vocabulary.
I will give you a list of linking vocabulary for you
to use.
 Why? not What!
• Many of you are simply pointing out that literary features exist, such
as…

Hopkins uses ceasura, “Glory be to God for dapled things – “. The

caesura is used to give a pause before starting to enumerate what
things we should glory to God.

Here all we are getting is what; there is no why?

Being able to spot a device and say what it does is not what you are
being asked to do.

If you only do this you will fail!

 Why not What
Here is another unsuccessful topic sentence:

The author uses a metaphor to represent a sky

full of clouds as if it were a cow.

What is wrong with this and how could we

improve it?
 Using the Why.
• Here is an example which explores why..

Hopkins uses alliteration to portray his immensly

deep belief of finding beauty everywhere. “swift,
slow, sweet, sour, adazzle, dim”.

This is called a topic sentence. It expresses an

opinion about why the device has been used. It goes
at the start of the paragraph, after your linking word.
 Another example of a topic sentence

Imagery is used to show that all of God’s

creations are original and unique.

Once again, this sentence explores why the

device has been used.
 Meaningless phrases
In your essays, many of you have been using meaningless phrases. Here are
some examples:

• The author uses -------- to transmit and get the reader’s emotions
• The poem makes the reader feel alive from the inside
• This makes the description realistic
• This makes the message stronger and memorable
• The use of ____ captures the reader’s attention
• This draws the reader deeper into the text
• This leaves a question floating in the readers mind.
• This gives the reader a clearer image of what is being described.

Most of these phrases could be applied to just about any book, film, poem, story, scene etc... They mean
nothing and say nothing. You might as well open your mouth and go, “Bla, bla, bla, bla, bla”.

It is also not a good idea to say that the poem is confusing or unclear, all that shows is that you did not
understand it properly.
 P.E.E
Structure your paragraphs using the following
model
1.Point = Topic Sentence (we have covered this)
2. Evidence = choose one short quotation to
prove the point you made in your topic
sentence.
3. Explanation = Explain the words of your
quotation in order to prove your point.
 P.E.E Example
Hopkins continuously expresses his belief that all Point: Topic Sentence
things surrounding us are connected because they
were created by God, but that they all possess their
own unique beauty. This can be seen through the
use of the simile “Skies of couple-colour as a Evidence: Example
brindled cow.” The word “couple-colour” represents
the spots which we find in both the sky and the
cow; these imperfections are both what unite them,
but they are also what make them different and
unusual, and, according to Hopkins, beautiful.
Explanation which proves the point
 The conclusion
Here you have an opportunity to put your own
opinion.
This could be something like:
The poem made made me appreciate that beauty
can be found everywhere – not just in the things
we are told are beautiful; that imperfections can
also be beautiful too, and they are often what
make the world original and special.